KOTA KINABALU: A water maintenance contract worth over RM1 milion a year for a district where annual revenue is only about RM100,000 is shocking.
Terrence Siambun, a Nominated Assemblyman in a statement said he was shocked that many lopsided water deals have been made by the Sabah Water Department.
“Dare I say that the previous Infrastructure Minister (cum deputy chief minister) Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan as well as former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman were unaware of or ignored such deals even after the department was investigated,” he stated.
“I wonder why the Barisan Nasional leaders in Sabah kept quiet,” he added.
“Now Dr Maximus Ongkili is shouting about the newly appointed Sabah Water Department director. Why was he quiet when MACC investigated the department?
Was it because of Pairin or was it because of Musa?” Siambun who is also Treasurer-General of Parti Warisan Sabah questioned.
“My advice to Maximus is to look at what his political boss in PBS had abetted in by giving out such lop-sided contracts. He should ask Musa and Pairin for answers on the water deals. Was it the people they were interested in or the contracts?”
“I am not going to waste my time with the cheap antics of Maximus or other Barisan leaders because Parti Warisan Sabah is committed towards prudent spending, pro-people development and above all, transparency.”
Siambun pointed out that the state government is confident that the appointment of Sabahan engineer Amarjit Singh as the new director of the Sabah Water Department augurs well with the state’s aim to rationalise and strengthen the operation of the department.
“We believe that bringing in a qualified and experienced engineer like Amarjit will help in the process of ensuring that department is able to plug leakages and rationalise lop-sided contracts granted during the Sabah Barisan Nasional government tenure.”
“We need someone from the outside to help set things in order in the department which has been scandalised by the corruption investigation over the last two years and charges against its top officials.”
“Please don’t try to talk about Borneonisation of the civil service in the State. Amarjit is a thoroughbred Sabahan and is a well qualified water engineer with vast experience,” Simabun said.
“How many Sabahans in rural areas of the state have benefited from the billions of ringgit spent on the Water Department over the years. Now, Ongkili and his Barisan colleagues are screaming racism and Borneonisation and what not.”
As for the investigations into alleged federal funds siphoned out from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry during the tenure of Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, he said: “We repeat our stand that it was a poor attempt by the Barisan Nasional to cast bad light on Warisan leaders.”
He added that Amarjit, Shafie and other Warisan leaders who were detained for the so-called MACC investigations have not been charged.-pr/BNN
